Vitamin A in pregnancy

[2catsand1rabbit]

Hi, I've just found out I'm pregnant and it's a complete surprise although we are very happy about it. Anyway, I've been feeling really tired out (not realising I was pregnant) and have been taking 2 doses of a multivitamin everyday for weeks. They are vitamins which have vitamin A in them. I'm obviously not taking them anymore but what harm could I have done to my baby? I think I'm probably 7 weeks gone.

Below is an excerpt from the birth defect reseach society's website:

Women in their reproductive years should be informed that the excessive use of vitamin A shortly before and during pregnancy could be harmful to their babies. The National Research Council's recommended dietary allowance for vitamin A during pregnancy is 1,000 retinol equivalents (RE)/day, which is equivalent to 3,300 IU as retinol or 5,000 IU of vitamin A obtained from the typical American diet as a combination of retinol and carotenoids, e.g., beta-carotene. An average balanced diet contains approximately 7,000-8,000 IU of vitamin A derived from different sources. Therefore, women who are at risk for becoming pregnant should consider their dietary intake of vitamin A before taking supplements. The USRDA (recommended daily allowance) established by the Food and Drug Administration is 8,000 IU/day. Supplementation of 8,000 IU vitamin A (as retinol/retinyl esters) per day should be considered the recommended maximum prior to or during pregnancy until further evaluations can be performed in the human population. It is important to determine the type of vitamin A consumed, since beta-carotene has not been associated with vitamin A toxicity in animals or man.